Jessica S. February 14, 2019
Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson has been hired back to Blizzard as a game producer following his release last season as on-air talent.
Shortly after the conclusion of the first season of Overwatch League, Reinforce took to Twitter to announce that he was looking for job openings as his talent contract with the league hadn’t been renewed. Fans scratched their heads wondering why one of their favorite casters wasn’t kept on.
This latest role will give Reinforce a chance to work behind the scenes and improve overall broadcast quality.
“It's a new role in our production, and I'll be using my game knowledge behind-the-scenes to help elevate the show in all aspects for you viewers,” said Reinforce.
The beginning of Season 1 had a bumpy start for production, with many pauses, crashes, and spectator errors. Things did improve towards the end of the season, though some fans still wanted for better spectating. Reinforce has widely been considered one of the most knowledgeable talents to work the OWL desk, which is why fans will miss him in front of the camera.
Reinforce mentioned in his tweet that he might make a few appearances on camera, which was also hinted at when new casters were announced, along with other potential guest appearances over the course of the new season.
While in-game spectating isn’t something fans always consider, it is integral to the production behind OWL games. Experienced spectators control different cameras across the map.
Fans caused an uproar after it was announced that Reinforce was leaving the casting team. The outpouring of support may have played some role in the Swede being brought back into the league’s ranks.